Big Tobacco is a name used to refer to the largest companies in the
tobacco industry
The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies who are engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any ...
. According to the World Medical Journal, the five largest tobacco companies are:
Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. The most recognized and best selling product of the company is Marlboro. Philip Morris I ...
,
British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco plc (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, England. As of 2019, it is the large ...
,
Imperial Brands
Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mo ...
,
Japan Tobacco International
JTI - Japan Tobacco International is the international tobacco division of Japan Tobacco, a leading international tobacco product manufacturer. The holding company is JT International SA and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and sells its b ...
, and
China National Tobacco Company. These companies have substantial power economically, with revenues matching some small countries. These companies are well-known for lobbying governments, advocating for looser restrictions and lower taxes.
These companies have garnered significant controversy for the product they produce and the tactics with which they sell and market them. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Despite a general decrease in cigarette use in the United States, there has been no change in the use of smokeless tobacco.
Some of the tactics utilized by these companies have been noted to be similar to that of other industries such as the oil, sugar, and cell phone industries.
These companies are controversial due to the negative health effects of the products they produce, and attempts to misinform on this topic. In the United States, the big five tobacco companies have worked together to conceal scientific evidence on the negative affects of tobacco. There is also a history of manipulating and destroying evidence.
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was designed by the
World Health Assembly
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states.
T ...
as an international legal approach to reducing the effect of tobacco on public health. However, its implementation has also been interfered with by these tobacco companies. Tobacco companies have also been known to foster relations with governments and communities to maintain loose regulations on tobacco products.
See also
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Tobacco politics
Tobacco politics refers to the politics surrounding the use and distribution of tobacco.
In the United States, from the 1950s until the 1990s, tobacco industries wielded great influence in shaping public opinion on the health risks of tobacco. ...
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Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement
The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was entered on November 23, 1998, originally between the four largest United States tobacco companies ( Philip Morris Inc., R. J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard – the "original participati ...
*
Jeffrey Wigand
Jeffrey Stephen Wigand (; born December 17, 1942) is an American biochemist and whistleblower.
He is a former vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky, who worked on the development of reduced-har ...
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Nicotine marketing
Nicotine marketing is the marketing of nicotine-containing products or use. Traditionally, the tobacco industry markets cigarette smoking, but it is increasingly marketing other products, such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco product ...
* "Big"
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Big business
Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly kn ...
**
Big Media Big Media or corporate media may refer to:
* Concentration of media ownership, the decreasing amount of separate media organisations
* Mainstream media, conventional news outlets
* Mass media, the term for modern media that use mass communication
...
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Big Oil
Big Oil is a name used to describe the world's six or seven largest publicly traded and investor-owned oil and gas companies, also known as supermajors. The term, particularly in the United States, emphasizes their economic power and influence ...
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Big Pharma
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Big Soda
Big Soda is a term used by the media, various activist groups, and CrossFit to describe the soft drink industry as a collective entity. The term connotes the business and lobbying power of soft drink companies who, like Big Oil and Big Tobacco, wo ...
**
Big Tech
Big Tech, also known as the Tech Giants, refers to the most dominant companies in the information technology industry, mostly located in the United States. The term also refers to the four or five largest American tech companies, called the Big ...
References
;Further reading:
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;External links:
Big Tobacco ManufacturersCampaign for Tobacco-Free KidsTheTruth.comMaster Settlement Agreement
Anti-corporate activism
Libertarian terms
Pejorative terms
Tobacco industry
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